Short answer: for the General category, students admitted to Otago Medicine have had GPAs roughly between 89 and 99 since 2022. In the most recent 2026 intake the range was 93.14 to 99.00. There is no fixed cut-off published in advance, because the threshold moves every year with the strength of the applicant pool.
The actual numbers, year by year
These are the GPA ranges of successful General-category applicants, alongside how many General-category places were given:
- 2022: 93.00 to 99.14, with 104 General admissions
- 2023: 89.43 to 98.43, with 132 General admissions
- 2024: 89.57 to 98.71, with 138 General admissions
- 2025: 89.29 to 99.00, with 132 General admissions
- 2026: 93.14 to 99.00, with 118 General admissions
General category is only part of the intake
This is the bit that confuses people. The General category sits inside a much larger total intake for the MB ChB programme, which also includes other admission categories. The totals look like this:
- 2022: 1,003 applications, 293 admissions
- 2023: 928 applications, 289 admissions
- 2024: 960 applications, 322 admissions
- 2025: 943 applications, 338 admissions
- 2026: 1,141 applications, 347 admissions
So while total admissions have grown from 293 to 347, the General-category slice has stayed roughly in the 104 to 138 band. Applications jumped noticeably in 2026, to 1,141. More applicants for a similar number of General places is why the bottom of the range moved back up to 93.14.
What this actually means for you
Three honest takeaways:
- Do not aim for the bottom of the range. The lowest successful GPA in a given year is not a target, it is an outlier who got in during a softer year. Aim well clear of it.
- The threshold moves. Between 2023 and 2026 the bottom of the range swung by nearly four GPA points. Planning your year around last year's lowest number is risky.
- GPA is not the only component. Admission also considers your UCAT result and interview performance. A strong GPA gets you considered; it does not by itself get you in.
Where the GPA actually comes from
Your GPA is built out of your seven HSFY papers plus your eighth paper. That means every paper counts, including the ones students treat as an afterthought. A weak result in one paper is surprisingly expensive when the difference between the middle and the top of that range is a couple of points.
If you want to work on the papers that make up that GPA, you can practise exam-style questions for each one on Cutline: CHEM191, HUBS191, CELS191 and PHSI191 are free to start.
